Amazon ECR vs Azure Container Registry comparison

Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Microsoft are both solutions in the Container Registry category. Amazon Web Services (AWS) is ranked #1 with an average rating of 8.6, while Microsoft is ranked #4 with an average rating of 8.7. Amazon Web Services (AWS) holds a 16.9% mindshare in CR, compared to Microsoft’s 11.1% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of Amazon Web Services (AWS) users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 95% of Microsoft users who would recommend it.

Amazon ECR

Read 21 Amazon ECR reviews

4,198 Views
3,569 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Azure Container Registry

Read 20 Azure Container Registry reviews

2,933 Views
2,252 Comparison Views

95% willing to recommend

Amazon ECR

Azure Container Registry

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Apr 20, 2025

Azure Container Registry and Amazon ECR are both key players in the container management category. Amazon ECR seems to have an upper hand due to its ease of use and cost-effectiveness, despite Azure's advanced features and security enhancements.

Features: Azure Container Registry provides geo-replication, role-based access for enhanced security, and seamless integration with Azure services. It also allows for comprehensive visibility into Docker images and logs. Amazon ECR offers ease of use, integration with AWS services, centralized management, image scanning capabilities, and support for multi-region tasks with a strong focus on security and scalability.

Room for Improvement: Azure Container Registry users have reported accessibility issues, unexpected downtime, and a need for robust auto-scanning capabilities. Improvements in access key management and image stability are also desired. Amazon ECR could improve integration with other cloud services and provide better documentation for newcomers. Enhancements in IAM management and real-time alerting, as well as deeper integration with security tools, are noted areas for improvement.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Azure Container Registry generally provides reliable service on public and private clouds, but with occasional support inconsistencies. Microsoft’s support structure is comprehensive, yet outsourced support gets mixed reviews. Amazon ECR, while also versatile in deployment, is more praised for robust AWS support and proactive service, leading to a slightly better customer service impression.

Pricing and ROI: Azure Container Registry is reasonably priced with a tiered licensing model, but can be seen as expensive compared to on-premise solutions. Amazon ECR is often more cost-effective, utilizing a pay-as-you-go model with low per-storage costs, resulting in strong ROI from operational efficiencies. Azure’s cost is justified by its features and integration advantages, but Amazon’s competitive pricing makes it attractive.

To learn more, read our detailed Amazon ECR vs. Azure Container Registry Report (Updated: April 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Amazon ECR vs. Azure Container Registry

April 2025

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Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Categories and Ranking

Amazon ECR

Ranking in Container Registry

1st

Average Rating

8.6

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Azure Container Registry

Ranking in Container Registry

4th

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

7.1

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of April 2025, in the Container Registry category, the mindshare of Amazon ECR is 16.9%, down from 17.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Azure Container Registry is 11.1%, up from 11.2% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Container Registry

Featured Reviews

Rikin Parekh

Backend Engineer at Northeastern University

Helps to store Docker containers and images but deployment can be complex

If there were a way to use containers as tasks directly, that would simplify things. Currently, when we use EC2 instances, scaling horizontally means increasing the instance count by five times, which might not be cost-effective. Maybe using containers directly for tasks could be a better option. Setting up this product initially does take quite a bit of time, and maintaining it also requires effort. Doing it via command line would be challenging, so I find it easier to manage through the interface.

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Aravindhan Suresh

DevOps Engineer at Hippo Video

Fast, secure, and has no downtime; it also has a role-based access feature

I'm not an active Azure Container Registry user, but I faced some issues, which Azure rectified after six months of usage. During the deployment, my company had a multi-stage pipeline, so whenever the team deploys via the Docker run command or generates an image, the issue arises. The problem is that whenever a new image is generated, that new Docker image isn't updated in Azure Container Registry, so that's an area for improvement. As soon as the deployment is over, my team has to go to Azure Container Registry to delete the image and start the pipeline, and only then will the image be updated. The new image isn't reflected in Azure Container Registry after deployment. My team had to take extra steps for the new image to reflect. Before 2020, Azure Container Registry didn't have the option to scan vulnerabilities, as I've heard from my team lead. After 2020, that feature was introduced in the tool, so as long as that feature is available, then Azure Container Registry is okay. I can't think of any other features to add to it in the next version.

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Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Pros

"One feature of Amazon ECR that I find particularly useful is its web interface, which makes management easy. The ability to manage and support token image updates is crucial for us. Moreover, utilizing load balancers via AWS features allows us to manage all traffic."

"There are no issues. The service is remarkably stable."

"The ECR solution is good. It is integrated with AWS, and it's free. Everything is free, which makes it nice to use."

"The integration with AWS services is very easy, and the deployment and initial setup are pretty straightforward."

"The autoscaling functionality is the main beneficial feature of Amazon ECR. It simplifies management, but some configurations can complicate things a bit."

"The main feature I value is the ability to deposit and retrieve images."

"What I like most about Amazon ECR is that it's swift."

"The solution is very stable."

More Amazon ECR pros

"Feature-wise, the security model and access controls are pretty straightforward and valuable"

"The most valuable feature is that it's easy to download, install and manage."

"The solution has built-in resiliency and replication zone availability so it is very stable."

"The solution allows you to isolate standard containers, which is its most valuable feature. Azure Container Registry does what it's supposed to do and gives you visibility into the Docker images, the logs, information on pulling and pushing the data, etc."

"Pricing is reasonable."

"It's running behind a big financial and legal customer, who runs Service Fabric behind a front door, servicing local banking containers on an ISV solution developed internally."

"The whole package is valuable as it allows for easy application cloning and deployment."

"Azure Container Registry is an easy-to-install, easy-to-configure, and easy-to-deploy solution."

More Azure Container Registry pros

Cons

"It would be great if they could also provide a reference to fix the errors or vulnerabilities in the images rather than just notifying us about them."

"Providing more ways to scan the image integrated with ECR would enhance security in the software development life cycle."

"One area for improvement in Amazon ECR is its complexity. It's pretty complex for newbies, particularly learning about private repositories, including how to access Amazon ECR through AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM)."

"There were some initial connectivity issues, especially when accessing ECR from our on-prem setup."

"Deeper integration with other security tools would enhance usability."

"Amazon ECR should improve the integration with Amazon CloudWatch. For example, allowing us to monitor the queues better. Additionally, some of the features could be made more accessible."

"There is no room for improvement mentioned; it's good as is."

"If there were a way to use containers as tasks directly, that would simplify things. Currently, when we use EC2 instances, scaling horizontally means increasing the instance count by five times, which might not be cost-effective. Maybe using containers directly for tasks could be a better option."

More Amazon ECR cons

"The setup for Azure Container Registry was a bit complex. Still, the main problem was that whenever a new image was generated, that new Docker image needed to be updated in Azure Container Registry."

"Lacks the option of having access keys stored in a master key vault."

"There is a need for a graphical interface instead of writing code in Visual Studio to create images."

"It's not an open source, and we pay per hour to Microsoft Azure."

"We have found that it is sometimes difficult to pull images from the host application."

"The security, dashboards, and monitoring system could be improved."

"The deployment is an area that needs improvement, as it can take some time to deploy."

"The setup process is mildly complex. There is no straightforward management platform, so there's a level of complexity to it."

More Azure Container Registry cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Amazon ECR does not have a high cost."

"My company currently has Amazon ECR under the pay-as-you-go model. The tool is more affordable than Azure Container Registry, and it's worth the money."

"The solution's price is reasonable compared to its competitors"

"The product is expensive."

"The solution's prices are high in India as compared to the US."

"The main difference between Amazon ECR and other solutions, like Google Kubernetes Engine, is that I haven't personally used GKE. However, I know that GKE costs around $60 per month, which is quite cost-effective."

"The Premium version includes some enhancements but is still quite okay with regard to pricing."

"Azure is a bit expensive."

"Azure Container Registry, has no cost, but you pay for storage service."

"I have no information on how much Azure Container Registry costs. I know it's the only solution my institution can use, so the cost was approved."

"The product is competitively priced."

"I would rate the pricing four out of ten."

"When using Azure Container Registry, it was $1.5 or $1.6 per day, but I'm unsure how much it costs today."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

16%

Computer Software Company

16%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Insurance Company

Financial Services Firm

16%

Computer Software Company

13%

Healthcare Company

Manufacturing Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Amazon ECR?

One feature of Amazon ECR that I find particularly useful is its web interface, which makes management easy. The ability to manage and support token image updates is crucial for us. Moreover, utili...

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Amazon ECR?

In the ECR setup, we use a container registry per region. All accounts are within a shared account, which we call a shared account. We share the container registry across various accounts within ou...

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What needs improvement with Amazon ECR?

I suggest making it more aligned with the Docker registry version two API specification. If they achieve this, it would be excellent. Eli is an example of such an implementation.

See all answers

What do you like most about Azure Container Registry?

Azure Container Registry is an easy-to-install, easy-to-configure, and easy-to-deploy solution.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Azure Container Registry?

The pricing is on the lower side and not costly. Customers usually pay approximately $500 USD monthly, though this includes multiple services, not just the Azure Container Registry.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Azure Container Registry?

While downtime is uncommon, there are occasional server errors like '404 not found' and '504 server not found'. Viewing server logs is not a reliable approach, and improving log visibility would he...

See all answers

Comparisons

JFrog Container Registry vs Amazon ECR

Compared 44% of the time

Harbor vs Amazon ECR

Compared 14% of the time

DigitalOcean Container Registry vs Amazon ECR

Compared 3% of the time

Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) vs Amazon ECR

Compared 3% of the time

Red Hat Quay vs Amazon ECR

Compared 2% of the time

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JFrog Container Registry vs Azure Container Registry

Compared 32% of the time

Harbor vs Azure Container Registry

Compared 16% of the time

Red Hat Quay vs Azure Container Registry

Compared 2% of the time

Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) vs Azure Container Registry

Compared 1% of the time

More Azure Container Registry Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Container Registry

April 2025

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Buyer's Guide

Azure Container Registry

April 2025

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Also Known As

Amazon Elastic Container Registry

Microsoft Azure Container Registry

Overview

Amazon Elastic Container Registry (ECR) is a fully-managed Docker container registry that makes it easy for developers to store, manage, and deploy Docker container images. Amazon ECR is integrated with Amazon Elastic Container Service (ECS), simplifying your development to production workflow.

Amazon Web Services (AWS)

Azure Container Registry allows you to build, store, and manage container images and artifacts in a private registry for all types of container deployments. Use Azure container registries with your existing container development and deployment pipelines. Use Azure Container Registry Tasks to build container images in Azure on-demand, or automate builds triggered by source code updates, updates to a container's base image, or timers.

Microsoft

Sample Customers

Expedia, Intuit, Royal Dutch Shell, Brooks Brothers

DNV GL, Alaska Airlines, Finastra

Buyer's Guide

Amazon ECR vs. Azure Container Registry

April 2025

Free Report: Amazon ECR vs. Azure Container Registry

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